Unregulated brick kilns continue to operate across Netrakona district, posing serious threats to agricultural land, public health and the environment. According to local sources, 32 brick kilns are currently active this year, but only four have environmental clearance. Despite mobile court fines imposed on six kilns earlier in the season, no closures have been enforced, allowing illegal operations to persist.

Officials from the Department of Environment and the district administration confirmed that Netrakona has 40 kilns across nine upazilas, with 28 running without permits. Each kiln employs 300 to 400 workers, providing jobs for 10,000 to 12,000 people and producing up to 10 million bricks per site. Environmental activists have expressed concern over pollution and the lack of compliance with regulations. Department officials cited legal complications as a reason for delays in shutting down illegal kilns but said enforcement drives would continue.

District authorities stated that joint mobile courts are regularly fining violators and that further action will be taken if specific complaints about illegal soil extraction from government or river lands are received.

Bangladesh’s financial sector is showing signs of recovery from a prolonged crisis as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) forms a new government after winning two-thirds of parliamentary seats. The interim administration led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, which took charge in August 2024, is credited with restoring stability through reforms that curbed irregularities, corruption, and capital flight. Economists note that the sector’s stabilization, rather than investment growth, was the interim government’s key achievement.

According to data cited in the report, foreign exchange reserves rose from 20 billion to over 34 billion US dollars, while inflation fell from 11.6% to 8.58%. The banking sector saw consolidation, including the merger of five weak Shariah-based banks into a new entity, and stricter loan recovery measures improved transparency. The trade balance turned from a 6.6 billion dollar deficit to a 3.29 billion dollar surplus, supported by higher remittances and export growth.

Experts warn that the incoming BNP government faces challenges including weak revenue collection, rising domestic and foreign debt, and the upcoming graduation from LDC status, which may test the sustainability of recent economic stabilization.

Agriculture and Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury stated that Bangladesh’s agriculture sector is now in a stable condition due to the combined efforts of all stakeholders. He made the remarks on Monday at a farewell reception organized by departments and agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council auditorium in Dhaka.

The adviser highlighted that during his one and a half years in charge of the ministry, several initiatives were taken to ensure food security and make the sector sustainable and farmer-friendly. He said the fertilizer crisis had been resolved, flood damages in several regions were managed, and the sector was now performing better than before. Fertilizer stocks were at a strong level, and agricultural product prices remained within a tolerable range.

In his farewell speech, he urged proper distribution of agricultural incentives, careful selection of beneficiaries, and strict monitoring of fertilizer sales at government-fixed prices. He also thanked all officials and agencies under the ministry for their cooperation.

The government of Bangladesh has reduced the value-added tax (VAT) on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), according to a statement issued on February 16. National Board of Revenue (NBR) public relations officer Md. Al Amin Sheikh confirmed that the decision was made to keep LPG prices stable and affordable for both industrial and household users. Previously, LPG was subject to a 7.5 percent VAT at the local production and trading stages and a 2 percent advance tax at import.

Following recommendations from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and a request from the LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh, the government issued two separate notifications withdrawing the 7.5 percent VAT on local production and trading and the 2 percent advance tax on imports. Instead, a 7.5 percent VAT will now apply only at the import stage until June 30.

According to the NBR, this adjustment will remove VAT from the value added during local production and sales, reducing the overall tax burden on consumers by approximately 20 percent compared to previous levels.

Two separate fires broke out in Dhaka on Monday night, one at the timber market beside the TCB building in Karwan Bazar and another at a shoe factory on Agamasi Lane in Old Dhaka. Both incidents occurred around the same time and were brought under control shortly afterward by Fire Service and Civil Defence teams. No casualties were reported in either fire.

According to Fire Service sources, the Karwan Bazar fire began around 10:30 p.m., and ten units were dispatched to the scene. The blaze affected several floors of a five-storey building that housed diaper and wooden goods warehouses. Narrow access roads delayed firefighting efforts, and stored goods and furniture were damaged. The Old Dhaka fire started around 10:45 p.m. on the fourth floor of a seven-storey shoe factory building. Three units responded and controlled the fire by 11:35 p.m. The cause of both fires is under investigation.

Traffic in the affected areas was temporarily disrupted, and local residents assisted firefighters during the operations.

A fire broke out at a shoe factory located on Agamasi Lane, Agha Sadek Road in Old Dhaka on Tuesday night. The incident occurred around 10:45 p.m., prompting three units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence to rush to the scene and begin efforts to control the blaze. The factory is housed in a seven-story building, and eyewitnesses along with fire service sources reported that the fire originated on the fourth floor.

Fire Service officer Talha Bil Jasim stated that three units were dispatched immediately after receiving the report and that work to bring the fire under control was ongoing. He confirmed that no casualties had been reported so far and said the cause of the fire would be determined after an investigation.

Traffic movement in the area was disrupted due to the incident, while law enforcement personnel and local residents assisted the fire service in their operations.

The Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government announced on February 16 that the administration has worked with the United States, China, and Japan to strengthen the country’s economy, employment, industrialization, and international diplomatic position. In a televised address at 9:15 p.m., he said a new bilateral trade and tariff agreement with the United States has been completed, reducing reciprocal tariffs from 37% to 19%. The agreement is described as a strategic foundation for long-term economic and diplomatic growth.

He added that cooperation with Japan will enable Bangladesh to gradually enter sectors such as automobile parts, electronics, railway equipment, green technology, and high-value industrial products. This partnership is expected to reduce risks and attract investment from industrialized nations seeking duty-free export benefits to Japan.

The Chief Adviser also stated that development cooperation with China has deepened, highlighting progress on the Teesta River management and resettlement project and an agreement to build a 1,000-bed international-standard hospital in Nilphamari. He emphasized that education, training, and integrity are essential to transforming Bangladesh into a skill- and technology-based economy.

A job applicant was detained at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) in Gazipur after arriving to join work without taking any written, viva, or practical examination. The incident occurred on Monday, February 16, 2026, when Suja Mia, 32, from Sherpur’s Sreebordi upazila, came to join as a plumber. Officials discovered that his admit card contained the photo of another person named Milon Mia, who had taken all the exams on his behalf. Suja Mia claimed he did not know Milon and said he obtained the job through a man named Mahbub from his area in exchange for seven lakh taka. He was later handed over to police.

Following his arrest, Suja Mia’s brother-in-law, Sajal Mia, visited the BRRI headquarters, prompting discussions due to his home being near the BRRI director general’s village house. Sajal denied any connection to the case. Gazipur Metropolitan Police confirmed that a case is being processed and an investigation is underway to determine whether any internal collusion or broker network was involved.

Police stated that a full investigation is ongoing to uncover the entire recruitment fraud network.

A 13-year-old schoolboy named Pradip Nag died after being hit by a battery-run autorickshaw in Madan municipality of Netrakona on Monday afternoon. Pradip, son of Sujan Nag, owner of Joy Ma Mistanno Bhandar in Jahangirpur Central Market, was a seventh-grade student at Jahangirpur Tahura Amin Pilot High School. The accident occurred around 4:45 p.m. on the Madan-Kendua road, near his home, while he was on his way to his family’s shop. Locals rescued him and took him to the hospital, where duty doctor Dr. Nayan Ghosh declared him dead.

Neighbor Rupan Das said several accidents had previously occurred at the same spot and urged the authorities to install a speed breaker there. Madan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Hasnat Zaman stated that they were aware of the incident and would take action upon receiving a complaint.

The repeated accidents at the location have prompted renewed calls from residents for road safety measures to prevent further tragedies.

Malaysian immigration authorities in Terengganu arrested 226 undocumented foreign nationals, including 222 Bangladeshis, during a joint operation on Sunday, February 15, 2026. The operation, conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., involved 64 officers from the Immigration Department, National Registration Department, Manpower Department, and Construction Industry Development Board. A total of 316 foreigners were inspected, and 226 were detained for violating the Immigration Act 1959/63.

According to Terengganu Immigration Director Mohamad Yusri Mohamad, those arrested included three Indonesians and one Indian national. The charges involved lacking personal documents, overstaying visas, and visa misuse, which fall under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963. The detainees have been transferred to the Ajil Immigration Detention Depot for legal processing.

Yusri added that between January and February 15, 2026, a total of 415 undocumented migrants were arrested in Terengganu, including nationals from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, India, and Nepal.

A 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Bay of Bengal, about 222 kilometers southeast of Cox’s Bazar, on Monday, February 16, 2026, at 5:55 p.m. Bangladesh time. The event was reported by the volcano and earthquake monitoring website Volcano Discovery, which described it as a shallow quake occurring at a depth of 10 kilometers beneath the seabed.

According to the report, no information has yet been received about anyone feeling the tremor. The earthquake’s location in the Bay of Bengal places it offshore, away from major population centers, which may explain the lack of felt reports. The incident was noted by local media as part of routine seismic monitoring in the region.

Authorities or monitoring agencies have not issued any further statements or warnings related to the event, and no damage or casualties were reported at the time of publication.

Police in Feni recovered parts of a stolen truck from the house of a local Jubo Dal leader on Monday, February 16, in Chharaitakandi village under Sonagazi upazila. The recovery followed the arrest of Md. Yunus alias Dalim, 40, from Dakshin Char Chandia village during a joint operation by EPZ and Sonagazi Model police stations. Based on Dalim’s information, police found the truck parts at the residence of Imam Hossain Probir, the member secretary of Sonagazi upazila Jubo Dal.

The truck had been reported stolen from Chattogram’s Patenga area on February 8, and its owner, Md. Harun, filed a case at the local EPZ police station on February 15. Following the recovery, Jubo Dal’s central office issued a press release signed by Assistant Office Secretary Minhajul Islam Bhuiyan, announcing the expulsion of Imam Hossain Probir from the party for breaching organizational discipline.

Police confirmed that the recovered truck parts and the arrested suspect were transferred to the EPZ police station for further investigation.

Local residents of Saint Martin Island in Cox’s Bazar have alleged that rows of keya trees were cut down along the southern beach area of Ward 9, apparently to facilitate illegal land occupation. The incident, reported on February 16, 2026, has triggered anger and concern among locals, though no one has publicly identified those responsible.

Union Parishad Chairman Foyezul Islam confirmed hearing about the tree cutting and said a beach worker was sent to inspect the site, with further action to follow after investigation. Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) district president H.M. Ershad condemned the act as alarming, emphasizing that keya trees serve as a natural coastal defense protecting sand dunes, homes, and marine biodiversity. Local residents described the destruction as unacceptable and urged authorities to act swiftly to protect the island’s forest cover.

The Department of Environment’s Cox’s Bazar office director, Jamir Uddin, stated that an initial investigation has begun and the matter is being treated with high importance.

A Dhaka-bound intercity train, the 721 Mahanagar Express, derailed between Hasanpur and Nangalkot railway stations in Comilla on Monday afternoon. The incident occurred around 3 p.m. at Khanna Para when the spring of the train’s ninth air-conditioned chair car broke, causing its front wheel to leave the track. Hundreds of passengers narrowly escaped injury, and no casualties were reported immediately after the derailment.

Nangalkot Railway Station Master Jamal Uddin confirmed that train movement on the up line between Hasanpur and Nangalkot was temporarily suspended following the derailment. He said a relief train from Laksam was on its way to carry out recovery operations. Authorities will investigate the cause of the accident and take necessary measures based on the findings.

Train operations in the affected section are expected to resume after the relief train completes the recovery work, according to the station master’s statement.

A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer in Dhaka displayed remarkable bravery and professionalism by arresting a mugger red-handed in the Shantinagar area on Monday, February 16, 2026. The officer recovered 77,000 taka that had just been snatched from a pharmaceutical company’s area manager, Touhid Alamgir, who was traveling by rickshaw toward his home in East Goran.

According to the report, three muggers intercepted the victim near the CID’s Detective Training School building, threatening him with a knife before fleeing with the cash. Responding to the victim’s cries for help, CID Assistant Sub-Inspector (unarmed) Md. Monir Hossain chased and captured one suspect, identified as Md. Saiduzzaman Sohel, 52, while two others escaped. The recovered money was handed over to Paltan Police Station for legal action.

CID’s Special Superintendent (Media) Md. Jashim Uddin Khan confirmed that the detainee is a professional mugger and active member of an inter-district robbery and drugging gang, with at least six prior cases filed against him between 2012 and 2025.